Hello, ModernDayBard here! Time to finish up this story for good! Let's get to the epilogue and birthday party! Of course, I don't own MLP or its associated characters; just my OC's and plot idea.

Twilight was frantic as she dashed into the library. Owlowicious was hard-put to keep up with the galloping aliicorn as she made straight for the little nook that had become her 'writing area' in the past few weeks.

"I can't believe it!" The Princess of Friendship mumbled in an extremely not-calm tone. "Of course there had to be a disaster this week, with no one but us available to fix it! Spike's birthday it tomorrow—well, in a few hours, actually—and I haven't finished writing the story, much less binding and wrapping it!"

"Whoo!"

"You're right, Owlowicious. I can get this done. I have to: for Spike."

With that determination now in place, she retrieved her precious papers from their hiding place, found the spot she'd left off, and took a moment to picture the epilogue of that particular CosmiColts volume. Once certain she knew what to write, she levitated the quill over the parchment and began the final moments of the story.

Days later, the battle-weary team had reassembled at their base. Injuries were beginning to heal, especially with Herbal Remedy's expert care, and spent energy was being gradually replenished, but the sense of well-being was not all-pervasive. They had survived, but was that really enough to count the debacle as a true victory?

Rock Solid felt that his leadership had been weakened, Snowstorm knew that her emotions had proved dangerous, Shade was ashamed that his villainous tendencies had been revealed, Herbal Remedy and Tele-pony had each let the other CosmiColts down in their own ways, and Jinx…

"I tied him up! He was unconscious, so I tied him up, got you guys out of there, went back for him—and he was gone, just gone!"

Shade, the only other occupant of the magi-tech lab, glanced at the distraught colt, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Look, J: you fought him. You'd never been battle-trained, never been in the field, but you faced him down and figured out how to beat him. You saved us all, and we even have Forest Fire locked up now. So what if Blademaster got away? You beat him."

The grey earth pony looked up at his teammate, worried blue eyes taking in the still-healing scar made in those final, desperate moments. "For how long, though?"

There was no answer forthcoming.

Elsewhere in the dark underworld off the city, once-keen grey eyes grew mad with desired vengeance.

"This is far from over, little heroes."

Spike's birthday party had come and gone without a present from Twilight. At first, the little purple-and-green dragon hadn't been surprised: after last year, he'd thought his friends wouldn't dare risk any gifts out of fear of triggering his Dragon's Greed.

But then Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and, of course, Pinkie Pie had all surprised him with a party. Even more of his friends from Ponyville had come—some with gifts, some without—and he'd had a wonderful time. Sometime as the guests were filing back to their respective homes and Pinkie Pie had commenced organizing the clean-up (that delegation had worried Spike at first, but it turned out the hyperactive earth pony was just as good at tearing down parties as she was a setting them up if she put her mind to it), the 'number one assistant' realized that Twilight hadn't given him anything.

After last year, the little dragon didn't dare ask. Besides, he'd complained for a while about the fact that it was only ever a book. But for the first time, he missed that tradition. Townsponies being too afraid to trust him, he understood, but did Twilight—his Twilight—fear a relapse as well?

The sad thought having distracted him from his happy day, Spike trudged up the stairs in search of the alicorn, whom he realized he hadn't seen for a few hours, if only to apologize for last year. "Twilight?" he called out, uncertainly.

Suddenly, the very pony he'd been searching for appeared in the hall in front of him, having just dashed out form one of the rooms. In the back of his mind, Spike noticed Owlowicious perched nearby, watching, but most of his attention was focused on the Princess in front of him. She didn't seem to have slept, and she seemed a bit—for lack of a better word—rumpled.

"I'm sorry, spike," she said in a clam, even tone. "I've been coming up here every few hours to check on your present, to see if the binding had set yet so that I could wrap it. I know it's a bit late, but, well, here it is." With that somewhat-confusing intro, she levitated a package to him, which the little dragon tore into.

He stared in slight confusion at the object in the parcel. As per tradition it was a book, but the all-too familiar title didn't belong on a 'real book'. "CosmiColts Volume 3?" he muttered questioningly, before opening to the first page.

"I-I tried to find it, to replace your copy," Twilight began babbling. "I know it was your favorite. B-but wherever I went, nopony had one—I couldn't believe it! T-Then I realized that you'd read it to me, or had me read it to you so many times I had it memorized, and that gave me an idea. I know it's not exactly like the original, since I can't draw, b-but it's the same story. I-I know you were getting tired of books, but I thought—I thought—"

Her nervous ramblings were abruptly cut off as the little dragon surged to his claws and hugged her tightly. "Twi, it's amazing! It's the best birthday present you—or anypony else—has ever given me!"

With grateful tears stinging the corners of her indigo eyes, the Princess of Friendship returned her 'number one assistant's' hug.

So, yeah. Here we are at the end. Thank you to all of those who gave this story a chance and came with me on this four-week little side trip into the world of MLP: FiM. Well, anyway: if you like it, or see something I can fix, don't hesitate to leave a review letting me know!